Lens grinding and polishing machine



June 25, i945. v J. c;J ANDERSN 2,402,865

LENS GRINDING AND POLISHING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1942 s sheets-sheet 1 ha m *k c., n N N G L I N N l i H LL N I l W k LL Q \Q l. "v m June 25, 1946. J, Q ANDERSEN 2,402,865

LENS GRINDING AND POLISHING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1942 y 3 Sheets-51169.11 2

FIG 7 1N VENTO@ ATTORNEYS jun@ 25, 1945 J. AND'ERsEN' 2,402265 LENS GRINDING AND POLI'SHING MACHINE Filed May 271 1.942 3 `sheets-sheet` s FIGS y INVENTOR JRGE/V C NDERSE'N Y mM/4M., www

A TTORNEYS Patented June 25,v 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE LENS GRINDING AND POLISHING MACHINE J orgen C. Andersen, Rochester, N. Y.

Application May 27, 1942, Serial No. 444,620

This invention relates to lens grinding and polishing machines and has for its principal object to provide a simplied apparatus with which optical lenses, both spherical and cylindrical, may be accurately ground and polished at a high rate of speed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel construction for a lens grinding and polishing machine which permits individual units of this apparatus to be connected for joint operation in such a manner that regulation of all of the units is effected by the adjustment of one of the units. A further object of this invention is to provide a lens grinding and polishing apparatus with means whereby the lap is given a combined oscillating, gyrating and rotating movement.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel construction for a lens grinding and polishing machine in which the lap and the lens chuck are simultaneously oscillated in opposite directions in a substantially common plane and on substantially a common center while both the lap and the lens chuck are being rotated in opposite directions in order to produce a uniform and eflicient grinding or polishing action over a maximum area in a minimum time.

i Another object of this invention is to provide a rotating and oscillating spindle support with means for longitudinally adjusting the spindle relative to the center of oscillation.

All these and other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed description thereof which follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the grinding and polishing apparatus with parts of it broken away and illustrated in section.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the grinding and polishing apparatus. n

Figure 3 is a detail front View of the lens chuck and lens blank supported by it, with a modied lap used in connection therewith.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the parts illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the lens chuck supporting spindle, taken on` the line 5-5 in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional View of the lens chuck supporting spindle taken on the line 6-6 in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view of the drivy ing mechanism of two of the machines and their 6 Claims. (Cl. 51-55) 2 connection for joint operation, the section being taken on the line I-l in Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a modified form of connection for joint operation of a plurality of the lens grinding and polishing machines.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9--9 in Figure 8.

As illustrated in the several figures, the apparatus comprises a suitable base I which carries the upright brackets 2 and 3 for the support of the oscillating driving spindle 4 and the oscillating driving sleeve 5. The latter is journaled in suitable bearings in the upright brackets and is provided at the front with the spindle supporting bracket 6. A crank 'I is keyed to the rear end of the driving sleeve. The driving spindle 4 is journaled within the driving sleeve and has keyed thereto at the front end the spindle supporting bracket 8 and at the rear end the crank 9.-

Journaled on the outside of the driving sleeve 5 between the upright brackets 2 and 3 are the eccentric I0 and the pulley member II. The eccentric I0 carries a pulley I2 with which it is driven by means of the belt I3, and the double pulley provided by the pulley member I I carries a third pulley I4 with which it is driven by means of the belt I5.

The spindle supporting brackets 5 and 8 each carry a pair of idle pulleys I6, I6 and II, I'I respectively which serve to guide the belts I8 and I9 in their travel between the double pulley II and the spindle pulleys 20 and 2|. The latter are carried by the spindles 22 and 23 which are journaled on and held supported by the spindle supporting brackets 6 and 8.

The spindle 22 carries a lens chuck 24 for the support of a lens blank 25 on the end thereof. i

The spindle 23 is movable endwise in its bearings and is splined to the pulley 2I for rotation thereby while the spindle may move endwise therein. A sleeve 26 'is adjustably threaded to the spindle 23 and carries the pivotal support 21 for the lap 28. A spring 29 surrounds the spindle 23 and is interposed between the sleeve 26 and the shoulder 26A of the spindle bearing so as to exert a yielding pressure against the sleeve 26 and in turn against the lap 28.

Rotation of the double pulley II by means of the belt I5 and pulley I4 operates to rotate the spindles 22 and 23 in opposite directions with the lens blank 25 supported and rotated by one spindle and the lap held yieldingly in contact with the lens blank and gyrated by the other spindle.

Jointly with their rotation the spindles are also moved angularly in a common plane so as to have the lap wipe laterally over the lens surface during the rotation of the lens blank. For this purpose the eccentric I is connected to the arm 30 carried by the shaft 3l. The latter carries the lever arm 32, of which one end is connected to the crank 9 by means of the link 33. The other end of the lever arm 32 has the connecting block 34 adjustably fastened thereto and a link 35 connects this block with the crank l. The cranks 'I and 9 are `thus operated from opposite sides of the lever arm 32 so that while one crank is moved in one direction, the other is moved in the opposite direction to produce the angular motions of the spindles 22 and 23 during their rotation.

By shifting the connection between the eccentric I0 and the arm 30 in the slot 39A, the angular motion of the spindles may be simultaneously increased or decreased according to the amount desired.

The angular movement of the supporting bracket 6 may be varied separately from the angular movement of the supporting bracket 8 by shifting the connecting block 3d in or out on the lever arm 32.

In this way the movement of both spindles may be adjusted to the amount-desired for the size and shape of the lens to be ground or polished and when two or more of the grinding and polishing machines are to be operated simultaneously, their lever arms 32 may be connected, as for example, by a link 36 illustrated in Figure so that the lever arm of each machine will have the same movement and operate its spindles with the same movement as the machine from which the others are driven. Adjusting the connection between the eccentric I6 and the arm 32 of one machine will thus produce the desired angular motion for the spindles in all of the machines.

As illustrated and described above, the oscillation of both the chuck supporting spindle and the lap supporting spindle takes place around a common center which coincides with the center of curvature of the lens to be ground or polished. For different curvatures of lenses it is therefore necessary to axially adjust the chuck supporting spindle in order te bring the center of the curvature of the lens blank into the center of oscillation of the two spindles.

This is provided for by the mounting of the chuck supporting spindle 22 which is splined to the driving sleeve 4i! for axial movement therein. The spindle has threaded thereto the adjusting nut 4I at the top of the driving spindle so that rotation of this nut will cause the spindle to be elevated or lowered in the spindle in order to bring the center of the curvature of the lens blank supported on the chuck into line with the axis of the driving shaft 4. A suitable scale 42 around the top of the adjusting nut 4i cooperates with a stationary pointer 43 to facilitate the proper adjustment of the spindle.

In place of the gyrating lap 28, one that will rotate axially with its driving spindle may be used. Such a lap is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 which shows va ball and socket connection 44 between the spindle 28 and the back of the lap 45. The latter carries suitable lugs 46 which are adapted for engagement by the bifurcated driving member 41 and rotation thereby and oscillating movement therewith.

The operation of the grinding and polishing machine, as above described, will produce lenses with spherical lenses but the machine is also adapted for use in grinding and polishing lenses with cylindrical surfaces. For this purpose the driving shaft 4 in addition to being oscillated is also moved axially to cause the lap supporting spindle 23 to reciprocate while it is being oscillated. In this case neither the lap supporting spindle nor the lens blank supporting spindle are rotated and the lens blank is mounted on the lens chuck with its axis axially in line with the driving shaft 4. In this way the cylindrical surface of the lens will be moved back and forth substantially the length of the lens blank while the lens blank and the lap are oscillated With the axis curvature of the surface of the lens as their center of oscillation.

Reciprocating movement of the driving shaft is effected by the eccentric 48 which is mounted on the drive shaft 49 and is driven by the pulley 50. An adjustable ball and socket connection 5l connects'the eccentric 48 with the driving shaft 4 and a splined connection between the driving shaft 4 and the crank 9 permits the driving shaft to be reciprocated by the eccentric 48 and at the same time rocked by the crank 9 so as to cause the simultaneous oscillation and reciprocation of the lap in the grinding or polishing operation 'of a lens having a cylindrical surface.

In Figures 8 and 9 I have illustrated a modiiied form of the simultaneous driving connection between a plurality of machinesso that adjustment of the oscillating movement in one machine will vcause the same adjustment of the oscillating movement in the other machine. For this purpose a pair of sliding rods 52 and 53 are suitably mounted to slide at the rear of the plurality of machines; These sliding rods are reciprocated by the movement ofthe cranks 1 and 9 so as to transmit their motion to links 54 and 55 for simultaneous operation of the cranks l' and 9 of the other machines. Driving connection between the cranks 1 and 9 of the master machine and the sliding rods may be made in any suitable manner, as for example, by means of a rack 56 and pinion 5l. The sliding rods are provided with a T-slot 58 so that the links can be adjustably located along the rods, and each crank 'l and 9 with which connection is made by the links is slotted so that, if desired, additional adjustments for the operation of the oscillating movement of the machines may be made.

I claim:

1. In a lens grinding and polishing machine the combination of an upright support, an oscillating sleeve journaled in said support, an oscillating shaft coaxially mounted within said oscillating sleevel a crank on each said shaft and said sleeve at one end thereof, a spindle supporting bracket on each said shaft and said sleeve at the other end thereof, a rocker shaft journaled in said upright support, a rocker arm carried by said rocker shaft, an eccentric journaled on said sleeve and connected with said rocker arm for imparting rocking movement to said rocker shaft, a lever arm carried by said rocker shaft, a link connecting one side of said lever arm with the crank on said shaft, a second link connecting the other side of said lever arm with the crank on said sleeve, a spindle revolvably mounted on each of saidy spindle supporting brackets for angular movement thereby around a common center axially in line with said oscillating shaft, a pulley carried by each of said spindles, a pair of pulleys journaled on said sleeve, and belt means connecting said pulleys with the pulleys on said spindles for simultaneous rotation of said spindles in opposite directions during their angular movement by said cranks.

2. A plurality of lens grinding and polishing machines each having a pair of oscillating spindles, crank means for each of said oscillating spindles, a rocker shaft for operating said cranks, reciprocating means imparting rocking motion to the rocker shaft of one of said machines, adjusting means for varying the connection of said reciprocating means with said rocker shaft, and link means connecting the rocker shafts of said plurality of lens grinding and polishing machines to provide for the-simultaneous adjustment; of the oscillating spindles of said plurality of machines by the adjustment of the connection between said reciprocating means and one of said rocker shafts.

3. In a lens grinding and polishing machine the combination of a lap having a cylindrical surface, means for oscillating said lap about the center of curvature of its cylindrical surface, means for reciprocating said lap axially parallel to the axis of the curvature of its cylindrical surface,

a chuck supporting a lens blank in grinding or dles being movable in a straight line movement simultaneously with its oscillation and at right angles thereto, a cylindrical lap carried by one of said spindles With the axis of curvature of its cylindrica1 surface in the common axis of oscillation of said spindles and means imparting oscillation to both of said spindles and a straight line reciprocating movement to one of said spindles.

5. In a lens grinding and polishing machine the combination of an upright support, a sleeve journaled for oscillation in said support, a shaft journaled for coaxiall oscillation and endwise movement in said sleeve, a supporting bracket on the end of said sleeve and a supporting bracket on the end of said shaft, a cylindrical lap on one of said supporting brackets and a lens chuck on the other of said supporting brackets for support of a cylindrical lens in grinding or polishing engagement with said lap and with the axis of the curvature of said cylindrical lap in line With the axis of said sleeve and said shaft, means imparting oscillation to said sleeve and said shaft, and means imparting reciprocating movement to said shaft during its oscillating movement.

6. In a lens grinding and polishing machine the combination of a pair of oscillating shafts mounted coaxially to each other, a spindle supporting bracket carried by each of said oscillating shafts so as to extend in substantially opposite directions, a spindle revolvably supported on each of said brackets, a lap carried by one of said spindles with the center of the curvature of its surface axially in line with said oscillating shafts, a lens chuck carried by the other of said spindles with the center of the curvature of the lens blank carried thereby axially in line With said oscillating'shafts, means for oscillating said shafts, and means mounted coaxially on said oscillating shafts for simultaneously imparting rotation to both of said spindles.

JORGEN C. ANDERSEN. 

